The United States Senate elections of 1930 in New Jersey was held on November 4, 1930.

Walter Evans Edge, the Senator elected in 1924, resigned in 1929 to take office as U.S. Ambassador to France. Interim appointee David Baird Jr. chose not to seek re-election and Republican Dwight Morrow won a landslide victory to succeed him.

Morrow also won a special election held the same day for the remaining month of Edge's six-year term, defeating Democrat Thelma Parkinson. Morrow would only serve for ten months before his death in October 1931.

Background In July 1929, President Herbert Hoover announced his selection of Senator Walter Evans Edge as United States Ambassador to France. However, Edge's appointment and resignation from the Senate were delayed for political purposes.

By resigning after 5 October 1929, Edge empowered Governor Morgan F. Larson to appoint a successor rather than leave the seat vacant until the fall election, when two elections would be held: a special election to complete Edge's term and a regular election for the six-year term beginning in 1931. Larson publicly pledged to appoint David Baird Jr., who was widely expected to run in the June primary. Before Edge's appointment, there had been rumors that Hoover sought to have Larson appoint Dwight Morrow instead; Larson denied the charge.

Republican primary Candidates Franklin W. Fort, U.S. Representative from East Orange Joseph Frelinghuysen, former U.S. Senator (1917–23) and candidate for Senate in 1928 John A. Kelly Dwight Morrow, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and former partner at J.P. Morgan & Co.

Declined David Baird Jr., interim Senator

Campaign Dwight Morrow, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, father of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and one of the richest men in the state, was the front-runner for the nomination. Morrow took little part in the early campaign. Shortly after announcing his candidacy in the spring, he left to participate in the London Naval Conference.

Upon his entry, Morrow's chief opponent was former U.S. Senator Joseph S. Frelinghuysen Sr., who had announced his candidacy even before Edge's appointment and resignation. Frelinghuysen stressed his campaign as a challenge to the establishment, identifying Morrow as an ally of the "Baird-Larson-Kean" group which controlled all of New Jersey's statewide offices, which Frelinghuysen termed "machine domination." Frelinghuysen additionally suggested Baird's appointment had been orchestrated by the machine to allow Morrow to avoid controversial votes, such as on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff, which Frelinghuysen supported. State party chairman E. Bertram Mott responded that the state committee took no official side in the primary, though "a great majority ... [were] in favor of Mr. Morrow for the nomination."

One of Morrow's few public statements during the campaign came in his opening speech on May 16, which called for a repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Opponents of prohibition, including Governor Larson and Democratic candidate Alexander S. Simpson, praised his statement, while critics compared him unfavorably to Al Smith. Outside of the state, his comments were taken as evidence that prohibition was failing. His chief critic on the issue was Representative Franklin W. Fort, who entered the race late as a candidate of the Anti-Saloon League. Conceding that Prohibition would be repealed some time in the future, Fort focused his attacks on Morrow's alliance with Atlantic City boss Nucky Johnson, who Fort argued would prevent Morrow from supporting any enforcement of the Volstead Act in the intervening years.

Frelinghuysen attempted to reframe the contest as a debate over foreign policy, criticizing Morrow's role negotiating the London Naval Treaty, which he argued left the United States needing billions in naval spending, and accusing Morrow of failing to oppose the League of Nations and World Court. As the race came to a close, Frelinghuysen attacked both Morrow and Fort for evading key issues.

Results

Democratic primary Candidates Alexander Simpson, State Senator for Hudson County

Results Simpson was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

General election Candidates Esther Hill Elfreth (National Prohibition) Henry Jager (Socialist) Dozier Will Graham (Communist) Alexander Kudlik (Socialist Labor) Dwight Morrow (Republican), U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Alexander Simpson (Democrat), State Senator from Hudson County

Results

Results by county 1930 U.S. Senate election in New JerseyCountyMorrowSimpsonOtherVotes%Votes%Votes% Atlantic 28,056 72.7% 9,649 25.0% 848 2.2% Bergen 76,725 68.4% 33,779 30.1% 1,602 1.4% Burlington 15,448 71.2% 5,143 23.7% 1,099 5.1% Camden 54,778 73.7% 16,384 22.0% 3,171 4.3% Cape May 7,606 75.7% 2,050 20.4% 393 3.9% Cumberland 12,453 64.6% 4,955 25.7% 1,879 9.7% Essex 98,698 64.8% 50,424 33.1% 3,093 2.0% Gloucester 13,338 71.3% 3,598 19.2% 1,780 9.5% Hudson 57,166 30.5% 128,917 68.8% 1,235 0.7% Hunterdon 7,128 54.9% 4,612 35.5% 1,235 9.5% Mercer 24,305 58.3% 16,221 38.9% 1,197 2.9% Middlesex 28,896 47.3% 31,283 51.2% 918 1.5% Monmouth 28,985 62.8% 15,679 34.0% 1,516 3.3% Morris 21,541 70.8% 7,599 25.0% 1,264 4.2% Ocean 8,384 74.7% 2,590 23.1% 244 2.2% Passaic 40,405 58.9% 26,877 39.2% 1,352 2.0% Salem 5,551 62.7% 2,243 25.3% 1,060 12.0% Somerset 10,260 64.3% 5,269 33.0% 432 2.7% Sussex 5,303 59.2% 3,384 37.8% 273 3.0% Union 49,014 65.2% 24,880 33.1% 1,274 1.7% Warren 7,457 55.1% 5,471 40.4% 595 4.4%

See also 1930 United States Senate elections

References